The present invention generally relates to methods and devices for securely storing data within a protected environment. Specific embodiments of the invention include recording time-stamped activity data, storing temperature data within the protected environs of a concrete mass, and secure calculation and storage of data relating to the properties of a concrete mass and, more specifically, mechanical strength data of the concrete throughout its curing process.
Today, there are secure “boxes” that are manufactured and sold to the government for data communication across telephone lines. Drawbacks of the secure boxes are that they are large and not secure in the particular environment that they are used in. In other words, the boxes may be capable of creating, sending, and receiving data that is secure, but the box itself may not be secure.
The personal computer industry offers software and personal computers that create, send, and receive secure data. The software operates in conjunction with a generic computer. Again, the data that are sent or received are secure, but the computers are not secure.
Two options are available for making the data and the hardware secure. The first is to make the hardware small enough to be carried from place to place, so that one can personally guard against its loss or unauthorized use. However, this alternative is impractical if the data need to be available and accessible to various other parties, and the data remain susceptible to loss or misplacement. As such, a second alternative is hereby disclosed, wherein the hardware and, subsequently, the data, are secure protected within an immovable mass. The present invention provides a method and device for securing the hardware and, subsequently, securing the data stored therein, from loss due to theft, misplacement, tampering, and the like, yet keeping the data readily accessible to any authorized personnel who may have need to access the data.
Concerning the construction industry, data of all sorts are vital to construction projects of all kinds. As the information age and the construction industry collide, the availability of construction-related data for future planning and analysis is paramount. Furthermore, the validity of the data is, in many instances, as important as or at times even more important than the data themselves. The preferred embodiment of present invention relates to the protection of crucial data for use within various industries, such as the construction industry, financial industries, medical industries, and any other industries needed open access to securely-protected data, as well as the secure transference of the data to their intended recipients.